Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “villous” come from?

Villous comes from Latin villus, hair or shaggy nap, from Latin vellus, fleece, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁-, to pull or pluck.

villous (English): Hairy, covered with soft long hair; Covered with...

Definitions

  1. Hairy, covered with soft long hair; Covered with...

Ancestry of “villous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvillushair, tuft of hair, shaggy hair
2LatinvellusThe wool shorn from a sheep; fleece; wool; The...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂welh₁-to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool

Words derived from “villous”

  • intervillous
  • extravillous
  • microvillous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁- →